Burger King dumps extra-creepy "The King" character

[marmar]

(Bloomberg) Burger King Holdings Inc. will air new commercials that won’t feature its mascot, The King, as the hamburger chain gears its advertisements to appeal more to families.

“Our marketing strategy and marketing approach has changed, and as a part of that, the King will not be used,” Miguel Piedra, a company spokesman, said in a telephone interview today. The television commercials will start this weekend and “will not feature the King,” he said.

Burger King, with more than 12,300 locations worldwide, hired New York-based ad firm McGarryBowen earlier this year to create more family-friendly advertisements. The McGarryBowen commercials airing Aug. 20 will promote the California Whopper sandwich for $4.49. .............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-08-19/burger-king-says-new-advertisements-won-t-use-the-king-mascot.html

[RebelOne]

1. Glad to see that creepy mascot go. n/t

[Occulus]

52. What exactly IS it that makes The King so creepy, though?

I think he's creepy, and I can't put my finger on why, exactly.

Is it his eyes? His smile?

What?

[gkhouston]

54. The fixed, open-mouthed smile. Looks like he wants to eat people. n/t

[trueblue2007]

58. good. i think bk's king is rotten looking. it isn't funny... just narly looking

[tabasco]

2. Burger King's always had some funny ass commercials.

Sounds like they hired some dumbass to end all that.

[TheDebbieDee]

19. Well, the commercial where the guy wakes up in the

morining and the King is in bed looking down at him is kind of scary.........

But I LOVED the commercial showing the King do his touchdown dance in the endzone!

[MrMickeysMom]

3. Thanks, Burger King... I still won't eat there...

Your organization is anything but green....

Plus, this character was pedophile creepy... :scared:

[lpbk2713]

4. I always thought he was modeled after Jeb Bush.

They both have a head twice as big as it ought to be.

[nadinbrzezinski]

14. Alas the King is far older than Jeb

it goes back to the 70s... it has gone from a cartoon to this... but it is old

[customerserviceguy]

49. Wow, I remember that cartoon!

BK was my favorite fast-food place in the 1960's, when I was a ten year old kid, a Whopper looked enormous in my hands. Glad that Dad took us there about once or twice a month.

[nadinbrzezinski]

53. When I could still eat bread

BK was also my preferred Fast Food place... these days... BK might do the sans bread, we discovered In and Out does.

[provis99]

5. he always scared me. And McDonald's Hamburglar gave me nightmares, too.

Don't they do focus groups with kids before they create these monstrosities?

[Pab Sungenis]

22. Actually, all of the McDonaldland characters were created

by Sid and Marty Krofft. The only one they didn't create was Ronald, who was created by Willard Scott.

[pipoman]

44. The weather man?

[Pab Sungenis]

48. Yep.

He created the character for local McDonald commercials in 1963. You can find them online.

[Marr]

6. Ha-- I actually like the way they used that creepy mascot.

They played up the creepiness instead of trying to minimize it.

[alphafemale]

11. I loved it too.

Wouldn't eat at Burger King on a bet though.

:rofl:

[Marr]

21. Oh, of course not.-- that goes without saying.

I mean, they've got a fucking serial killer on the sign!

[alphafemale]

25. Shit. I'd eat at Jeffrey Dahmers Ribhut if the food were good.

But Burger King sucks. Burger King? Rubbery meat flavored patty on a soggy bun. ick

[Liberal_in_LA]

7. Thumbs up!!

[Firebrand Gary]

8. Dang, that guy used to make me feel good in my special places.

Hahaha

[rucky]

9. As long as they keep Subservient Chicken...

http://www.bk.com/en/us/campaigns/subservient-chicken.html

[valerief]

10. Now they can use him in horror movies, where he belongs. nt

[Taverner]

12. They should bring back this dude...

[BiggJawn]

13. Aw, no, don't dump the King!

That classic "Breakfast with The King" spot was the greatest!

[ProgressoDem]

15. Maybe he can switch places with Gaddafi?

[n2doc]

16. He'll live on in our (ahem) hearts... n/t

[jberryhill]

27. And several major arteries

[Lint Head]

17. How dare BK treat royalty that way.

Them them eat fries!

[frylock]

18. that's too bad. those edits of great football plays using the king were awesome..

i really enjoyed those commercials.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CaXlpB9UvCY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXF6a2ZXgp0

[d_r]

20. wow whoppers cost 4.49 in California?

[Luminous Animal]

32. It's the California Whopper (TM). It includes extras.

[customerserviceguy]

50. Like tofu and bean sprouts? n/t

[awoke_in_2003]

23. I liked him...

just because everyone else doesn't.

[Major Hogwash]

24. Thank you Jesus. He was super creepy, I had nightmares of him for years after that one Superbowl

I couldn't get him out of my head.
He showed up at work, at the office, at home, in the kitchen, even at the tennis club.

Fucking creepiest mascot evah!

[jberryhill]

26. Mubarak, Qaddafi, and now the Burger King - Another People Power Victory!

[JHB]

28. Gives you nightmares, like that scary clown...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rou7EsWz2k

[Recovered Repug]

29. The King kind of looks like The Most Interesting Man in the World.

[Sal Minella]

31. I think he looks like Jeff Bridges doing Ultra-Creepy Drag. Yuck. n/t

[localroger]

30. They brought the creepy King in because...

...the last human actor who played the Burger King was outed as being OMFG gay.

Make the King a mask, and that problem goes away. I'm surprised they made it work as well and as long as they did, considering the obvious uncanny valley serial killer vibe.

[DU GrovelBot]

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[TK421]

37. Why do you hate the King, Grovelbot?

[era veteran]

34. I have not eaten fast food in thirty years

It is sort of like food.

[Ilsa]

35. That King was a pervert, peeking in windows and

showing up in people's beds.

[Ikonoklast]

42. And those are his *better* qualities.

That's ketchup.

[MrScorpio]

36. So long and farewell, Sweet King

[anarch]

40. whoa

great minds think alike...or something

[TlalocW]

56. I got in trouble a few times at a job programming websites

I still contract for the place - we make database driven websites and program admin tools to control everything from content to photo galleries to shopping carts, etc., and I would use that image as my test image a lot of the time.

Boss didn't like that.

TlalocW

[anarch]

38. awwww man...what a bummer

I thought that guy was awesome.

[TK421]

39. So...if the King is not a family-friendly advertisement, then who was his target audience

to begin with?

Whopper with cheese anyone?

[RagAss]

41. Mean people with low blood sugar.

[TK421]

45. yeah, well I guess plenty of those got suckered!

[gkhouston]

55. ROFL!

:applause:

[seabeyond]

43. stopped spending money there cause of sexist ads. they can say didnt effect their #'s

but was the reason my $ wasnt in their business

[TK421]

46. only thing on their menu I bothered to order WAS the Whopper..screw whatever else they had

fries were good, but that was back when I ate fries

[MrSlayer]

47. I hate Burger King in general but I liked the character.

I like Burger King Diamond even better.

[HughBeaumont]

51. They NEED to bring back the Duke of Doubt!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4JRTgVghO0&feature=related

[Warren DeMontague]

57. Royalty just can't catch a break, these days.

His face kind of reminds me of Kevin Kline.